The Beetle Alphabet Book

Meet the Beetles!

Beetles from A to Z are crawling all over this book. From the Dung Beetle to the Kalahari Beetle, these critters live all over the world. Jerry Pallotta's 20th alphabet book is brimming with facts and his signature humor.

Get to know the most diverse species on earth in this entertaining and informative book, boldly illustrated by award-winning illustrator David Biedrzycki.

Look Inside the Book:

Author & Illustrator Bios:

Jerry Pallotta, author

One thing author Jerry Pallotta has learned after visiting thousands of schools over the years is that kids love bugs! The success of The Icky Bug Alphabet Book and The Butterfly Alphabet Book gave him the idea of writing an alphabet book about beetles. Jerry lives in Massachusetts with his family. His advice to kids is READ A ZILLION BOOKS!

David Biedrzycki has been drawing ever since he was a little larva. During his pupa stage, he did scenery and art for middle school and high school plays and posters. AS a young adult, he bugged his parents to send him to college. David lives in Massachusetts with his family.

Awards & Honors:

IRA/CBC Children's Choices

Science Books & Films Best Books for Children

Editorial Reviews:

Publishers Weekly

Beetle-mania runs wild in Jerry Pallotta's latest nature ABC, The Beetle Alphabet Book, illustrated by David Biedrzycki. From African Goliath to Zinc Metallic Beetles, the book is both informative and humorous, benefiting from Biedrzycki's lush illustrations. The text ranges from educational (e.g., "The male Giraffe Beetle uses his unique neck to roll up leaves") to entertaining ("It is not polite to ask a ladybug her age").

School Library Journal

A fascinating look at beetles from A to Z, offering readers a wide array of intriguing facts with a bit of humor tossed in. Children are encouraged to recognize the differences between beetles and non-beetles. ("I am a spider, not a beetle...Spiders have eight legs, not six.") The author's enthusiasm for his subject and his fresh quick-moving style of writing add to the appeal. Biedrzycki's realistic illustrations are bold, colorful, and painstakingly detailed. The artwork is absolutely luminous, giving a beauty to these insects. It will draw readers in, but the text will keep them turning pages. This combination of glorious illustrations and interesting information makes for a fine addition to any science collection.

Library Media Connection

With its eye-poppingly vivid computer-enhanced pictures and kid-friendly snippets of entertaining information, this title makes a solid addition to the growing list of Jerry Pallotta/David Biedrzycki collaborations. Each page presents a fact or two about an alphabetical array of beetles with an occasional fact explaining what separates beetles from spiders and other insects. The pictures are gorgeous, placing the focus squarely on the beetles and blowing the critters up to fill the page. Each illustration, except the first, also contains a silhouette of the featured beetle. A map to show where in the world this astonishing variety of beetles can be found would have been a nice addition, as would some help in identifying which of the five metallic beetles on the Z page is the Zinc Metallic Beetle. The hand lettering on the diagram of beetle anatomy may challenge some young readers, but who won't enjoy discovering that beetles have seven hearts? This lively introduction to the abundant and extraordinarily diverse world of beetles will surely inspire a few coleopterists (beetle specialists). Special note: The artist has hidden the names of the Beatles and many of their songs within the intricate patterns and fine little hairs on the beetles. It is guaranteed to puzzle children and to drive adults nuts as they hunt for them